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Illegal pushbacks: EU calls for investigations into Croatia and Greece

According to media reports, Croatia and Greece are said to have pushed asylum seekers back to their borders, sometimes by force. The EU interior commissioner is “deeply concerned” and calls for investigations.

The EU has asked Croatia and Greece to investigate alleged illegal rejections of asylum seekers at their borders. She was “deeply concerned” about media reports of the sometimes violent driving back of refugees, said EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson on Thursday in Brussels. The government in Zagreb announced a “full investigation” of the reports, while Athens categorically denied the allegations.

Uniforms without badges: emergency services are said to have concealed their identity

According to research by “Spiegel” and media from other EU countries published on Wednesday, the Croatian intervention police and Greek elite units in particular are actively pushing back their borders. The Romanian security forces are also named in the research, which is based primarily on video recordings. Accordingly, the emergency services often disguise their identity by wearing uniforms without badges and balaclavas.

“Some of this information is shocking and I am very concerned,” said Johansson. Such allegations “really damage our reputation as the European Union”. There are also “convincing indications” of the misuse of EU funds, since the operations of border guards at the EU’s external borders are partly financed from Brussels. This must be investigated, demanded the interior commissioner.

Croatia wants to investigate, Greece does not want to apologize

Johansson announced that he would raise the issue at a meeting of EU interior ministers with Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi and Croatian interior minister Davor Bozinovic.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he had asked Bozinovic to conduct a “comprehensive investigation” of the video recordings. Croatia “respects its laws and international regulations”. He added, however, that “like any other country, it is our job to protect our border and stop illegal migrations”. Bozinovic said there was “no place for violence in the Croatian police”. Investigators would investigate the reports. “A team of experts is on site today to find out what happened, who was involved and where it happened”. When his report is available, Zagreb will “decide on further steps”.

However, Greece’s migration minister Mitarachi protested vehemently. He refuses to “apologize” for Greece’s ongoing commitment. “The Greek borders are the borders of the EU and we act within the framework of international and European law to protect them.” Greece had repeatedly and systematically denied similar allegations in the past.

“Normalization of Pushbacks and Violence”

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic said on Twitter that the latest “shocking reports” were part of a “long line of reports about the unacceptable normalization of pushbacks and violence against asylum seekers and migrants”. It is “high time” that states “effectively investigate, take action, hold each other accountable and put an end to such serious human rights violations.”

Croatia and Greece are on the Balkan route, which is used by migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa towards Western Europe. Migrants try to enter Croatia mainly from Bosnia, to Greece they arrive by sea and land from Turkey. Croatian border guards have repeatedly been accused of police violence against migrants. In Greece, the coast guard in particular is said to be violent or at least extremely ruthless against boat refugees.

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